1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical mounts for lasers and similar devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to optical mounts in which adjustment around X and Y axes are separated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In lasers, or optical masers, it is necessary to position reflectors or prisms with extreme angular accuracy in order to maintain the resonated wave within the bounds of the reflector.
Because of the extreme accuracy in angular adjustment that is required, it has been found that excessive hysteresis occurs when attempts have made to use pinned flexible joints and other joints that include mechanical clearances and/or friction between moving parts. Thus, attempts have been made to eliminate both clearances between actuating parts and friction by flexing metal parts.
In the prior art, as exemplified by Rempel in U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,471, slender rods have been torsionally deflected in order to position an optical element separately around both X and Y axes.
In this type of design, it is necessary to use a relatively thin rod, having a relatively small moment of inertia, in order to provide sufficient torsional deflection within the elastic limit of the material without using a rod of excessive length, and without the overall size of the mount being excessive.
However, as thinner rods are used in an attempt to obtain sufficient torsional deflection for the required adjustment in angles, the resultant optical mount becomes too resilient to hold precise adjustment angles in the face of externally induced vibrations.
In the aforementioned patent, Rempel has attempted to overcome this design limitation by loosening clamping bolts and allowing the rods to rotate without torsional deflection to achieve coarse adjustment around the X and Y axes, and then tightening the clamping bolts before making fine adjustment to the angles. The limitation of this arrangement is that one of the slender rods can be overstressed any time an operator forgets to loosen the clamping bolts when making coarse adjustments in the angles.